Mother's Grace, Father's Love
by Insane Pirate Dragon
Summary: Contains no canon characters; A 'What If' story of Phoenix and her parents and what if they met their end much sooner and she was given to he grandfather -One shot-


"Its a girl!" the doctor, a BMW, announced as he pulled the infant free from the canal as her mother gave one last weak push to bring the child into the world.

A Ford mix grinned happily as he nuzzled his wife, the curvy snow white Trans Am giving him a tired smile as she sank heavily back onto the mat her sides heaving from the difficult birth of their daughter.

A black Ford parked in the corner gave a snort of disgust at hearing the word 'girl' and grumbled angrily under his breath as he had watched the birth of his grandchild. Bart Grayston was a hard car to please. "Couldn't you two have a son..."

Chase Grayston snorted at his father as he turned back to his wife, Chloe, nuzzling her happily and rubbing her fender as he glanced back at his daughter happily as the doctor worked on cleaning up the mess from the birth and exam the mother throughly while a nurse took care of cleaning the infant.

"You did great Chloe..." Chase smiled as he stayed close to her. "She's beautiful..."

"I want to see her..." Chloe said weakly as she shivered as if from the cold, despite the room being quite warm.

"Chloe?" Chase asked softly worry evident on his front as he glanced back at the doctor.

Worry crossed the doctor's front as he quickly hushed the nurse out with the infant, worrying Chase further.

"What? Is something wrong?" Chase asked.

"Just some tearing..." the doctor said. "Happens sometimes with crossbreeds..."

"Well fix it..." Chase growled.

"I'm trying..." the doctor said worriedly. "I'm trying as fast as I can. She's already loss a lot of oil..."

"Then work faster!" Chase said as Chloe leaned heavily into him.

"She's loosing too mush to quickly!" the doctor said. "I don't think I can stop it!"

"What?" Chase growled, glaring at the doctor. "Do something now!"

"I-I c-can't!" the car said shrinking back. "She's leaking internally, by the time we take her in it'll be to late. I'm sorry!"

"Move then!" Chase snorted shoving the doctor out of his way as he laid a tire on Chloe's side. He could feel her deteriorating quickly as he prepared a healing spell and mumbled the spell under his breath waiting for his tire to emit the healing warmth that would save her.

But that didn't happen as Chase frantically tried another spell after another. After several failed attempts a familiar gravely voice entered his head.

'_Having trouble my boy?'_ Bart mentally smirked.

'_Leave me alone Father, I'm trying to save her,' _Chase mentally growled. '_Now help me...'_

Bart chuckled. '_I can't do that... You know the rules; no magic in front of mortals'._

_'You... You're blocking me...' _Chase growled. '_Stop now... Let me save her please...'_

_'Sorry my boy,' _ Bart said, not hiding the enjoyment in his voice. _'But one less mongrel in the world, the better...' _And with that he slipped into the living room where the nurse had disappeared with his daughter.

Furious, Chase moved to follow his father, radiating pure hatred at his father.

"Chaser..." Chloe said weakly, using the nickname she had given her husband. The Ford mix stopped and returned to his wife's side, pressing close to her, his hate forgotten as he chose to stay at her side for her last moments.

"I'm here... Chase said softly. "I'm here..."

"So cold..." Chloe said with a shiver.

"It'll pass..." Chase said choking up slightly.

"Is our... Is our daughter fine..." Chloe asked leaning heavily against her husband's side.

"Yeah," Chase choked out with a nod. "They taking measurements in the next room over.

Chloe managed a faint tired smile. "Phoenix..." she said weakly. "I want to name her Phoenix.."

"I will..." Chase said giving her a kiss on her fender.

Chloe offered him another smile as her eyes fluttered close and breathing grew fainter.

Chase smile sadly as he took her tire in his and held her close until her sides stilled and pump slowly stopped.

He stayed at her side for several minutes and flicked a mirror as the door opened revealing the doctor, who as slipped away to leave the two along, returning with a bundle and slowly approached the mourning husband.

Chase narrowed his eyes at the doctor before they fell on the bundle that the doctor held out for him. Gently, as Chloe had told him before, he carefully picked up his daughter, giving a nod to the doctor as he slipped back out the door.

Chase found himself alone once more as sleepy pale eyes looked up at him and chirped. The Ford mix couldn't help but smile sadly at his daughter, a sporty Trans Am with a rich shiny coat of black paint.

The Ford mix flicked his mirrors as he sat the infant near her mother's tires as he sensed his father pull back into the bedroom. "What do you want now..." he growled, clearly not in the mood to deal with his father.

"Just to check on you..." Bart said as he looked down at his granddaughter with a look of disgust on his grill. "And that horrible mongrel..."

Chase folded his mirrors angrily against his sides. "Don't call her that."

"But its true my boy," Bart said with a cruel chuckle. "She is no use to either of us... You know that..."

"She's of use to me..." Chase hissed. "I'm keeping her... And there's no way you're making me give her up..." To state his point, he crouched down and gently nuzzled his daughter, causing the little girl to open her eyes.

The black Ford tensed as he saw the pale orbs of his granddaughter. "Then give her to me... You're in no condition to train her... A mourning father..."

Chase ignored is father and snorted in his direction, staying close to his daughter.

Bart growled. "I said give her to me!" He roared as he prepared a bolt and sent it towards his son.

Chase's eyes flashed suddenly as he countered the bolt sending it straight back at his father, causing the Ford to slam into the wall and slump to the ground.

Bart groaned as he looked as up at his son, prowling up to him, expecting him to finish him off as he closed his eyes.

But the room was silent causing the Ford to open his eyes and looked into the prowl of his son over him.

Chase growled as he stood over his father's form, teeth bared and pale eyes burning through his father, looking far more sinister than his father had ever. "You are not to touch her!" the Ford mix growled. "Or I will kill you... And that's a promise... "

Bart struggled back to his tires as he glared at his son. "You wouldn't dare leave... You know the deal though... You stay or you're broke..."

"I remember," Chase growled. "But she's my daughter, whether or not she has a mother... You are not taking her... Not over my dead body... Now get out.."

"Then she's your problem," he Ford snorted as he shifted into gear heading for the living room, glaring at his son one last time before vanishing in a flash.

Chase stood watching where his father had teleported from and let out a painful sigh, his eyes wandering to the prone form of his dead wife. Slowly he pulled up to her, a tire on the snow white side only to be greeted if the icy touch of death. He pulled close to her, content of staying close until the others came to take her away.

He looked next to her, the bundle that contained their daughter still lay, sleeping despite the fight that had reined just moments ago. Gently he picked her up, causing the little girl to chirp sleepily and look up with pale blue eyes.

"Its alright..." Chase said gently as he pulled her close to him. "Daddy's got you... And he's never going to let anything happen to you...Phoenix..." He clinched his eyes closed as a single tear fell onto the floor.

* * *

"Nixie!" Chase called out as he chased the Trans Am down the hall. "Get back here! Its time for bed..."

"No!" the three year old Trans Am said. "No tired..."

Chase sighed as his daughter ducked under a pillow. At three her stubborn nature was already starting to show. The Ford mix sighed as he reached under the pillow with a tire and pulled out the squirming black mass that was his daughter.

Phoenix stopped her squirming and looked up at her father with bright pale blue eyes, identical to own. The Ford mix couldn't help but smile sadly as he sat the Trans Am back on the floor and nuzzled his fender lovingly. The toddler was already showing signs of taking after her parent's Pontiac looks, and the way she was starting to look like her mother more everyday; the tilt of her hood, the grace she was starting to move with, and the way she smiled. Chase couldn't help but be reminded of Chloe everything he looked at her.

But she wasn't Chloe, she was stubborn and was starting to speak her mind where her mother was quiet and soft-spoken. She was also developing a complete disregard of the rules and the fiery temper that he was so well known for, so much like himself sometimes, and something to work on as she got older.

"Now are you ready for bed?" Chase said giving her a playful nudge as the Trans Am yawned.

"Wanna see her," Phoenix said. "See her then go sleep..."

"Alright..." Chase said with a sigh as he gathered up his daughter and took her into the small bedroom that belonged to his daughter and gently sat her on her mat. Backing up a few feet he pulled out what looked to be a picture. "But promise you'll go to sleep."

The Trans Am nodded furiously as Chase pulled closer crouching down lower to show her the picture. "See here's me and your Mama," he said softly, a slight choke to his voice as he gently laid his antenna on the snow white car's image, gently brushing her slightly swollen sides. "And there you are..."

Phoenix reached up with her antenna, laying next to her father's on the picture. "Mama pretty..."

Chase smiled. "Yes... Yes she was..." he said softly as he pulled her close, gently kissing her roof.

Phoenix smiled as she looked down at the picture, running her antenna across the image of her mother, then her father. She looked up at her massive father and nuzzled him, antenna tracing the faint scars along his side curiously.

Chase flinched slightly at his daughter's touch, worrying the young Trans Am. "Daddy owies hurt?" she asked thinking she had hurt her father.

Chase gently shook his front. "No Nixie... No you didn't... "They happened along time ago...No more hurting..." he said as he gently laid a cover over her small frame. "Now get some rest..."

"Night Daddy," Phoenix said as she curled up, the picture tightly wedged under her tires, a nightly tradition with her.

"Night Nixie-Bird..." Chase said gently kissing her on the fender as he flicked a mirror.

The large Ford mix narrowed his eyes and pulled out of his daughter's bedroom and coming front to front with the chromed front of his father.

"What do you want Father," Chase growled quietly peering into his daughter's room as she fell asleep.

"Its time..." Bart growled. "Give her to me so we can start training..."

Chase growled as he quietly closed the door to his daughter's bedroom. "No, I'm not going to let her... She's too young..."

"She's old enough to learn..." Bart growled.

"For Dodge sakes she's only three!" Chase growled. "And you're already wanting to put her what you put me through at five..."

"It never hurts to start early..." Bart said smirking as he glanced at his son's faint scars. "And with her mongrelness... She's going to need all the help she can get... After all... My 'training' did wonders on your mongrel self..."

"Don't you dare call her that!" Chase growled. "And if anyone's going to teach her its going to be me... And I'm not putting her through the torture you did..."

Bart narrowed his eyes. "You think you know everything Boy," the Ford growled. "You think you're better than me...

"Know I know so," Chase said growling and straightening up to his full size, slightly topping his father. "I'm younger, stronger, faster... You wouldn't stand a chance..."

Bart growled growled as he stood his ground, the air around them crackling with energy as the two cars stared each other down in silence, neither backing down.

For what seemed like minutes, the two stared down, father vs son, pale eyes burning brightly until finally Bart slowly backed down.

Chase nodded and turned to leave for the living room. "Good... And another thing... Me and Nixie are hoping on the next flight out of here..."

Bart blink in surprise and snorted. "And where do you think you'll go. You have no money and certainly no place to live..."

"And thats where you're wrong Father..." Chase said. "I talked to my cousin and uncle in New York. They're more than ready to let me crash with them. Even offered me a job... See.. I don't need you... Nor does Nixie... Good night Father..." Shifting back into gear he headed for the living room.

Bart was shaking with fury at what his son just told him as the air around him began to crackle with power. "No... You're not..." he growled as lightning arced on his antenna.

Chase stopped hearing the crackle and turned to throw up a shield. But Bart was quicker as he flung the bolt of lightning and its aim was true as it pierced through Chase's engine.

Chase paused mid-turn as his engine seized and tightened up and looked at his father with widened eyes as he crumbled to the floor struggling to catch his breath.

Bart smirk as his son's frame trembled suddenly and lay on the floor dead. To the coroner it would look like a simple engine attack took his life as the old Fort drove around his son. He snorted, resisting the urge to kick his son.

"What was it you said 'over your dead body'?" Bart said as he pulled into the living room and prepared to leave. Better for someone to come across the body in the morning, knowing that the nanny would be in the morning to take Phoenix for the day.

And of course without any parents, she's go to the next best thing... Her grandparents... And with his ex-wife now dead, that responsibility would to him. The Ford couldn't help but smirk, he would mold her into the perfect heir and marry her off and hope for her to produce a son that would set his plan in motion.

But for now, he'd had to settle for waiting for her and with another snort, Bart vanished in a flash of light.

Back in her own room, Phoenix was sound asleep with the photo of her parents still close to her unaware what had happened outside, she murmured quietly in her sleep as a ghostly presence smoothed out her blanket before it too vanished leaving the Trans Am alone.

As morning came, just as the Ford predicted, he got the call from the police department to come and collect his granddaughter from the small home not far from the strip. He said nothing to the cruisers as he arrived at the scene and left moments later, Phoenix at his side.

Phoenix glanced back at the house that she had called home and shrank down some as she looked up at her grandfather. She had no idea what was in store for her future, but she believed she wasn't going to like it.


End file.
